TnA's 86 Jimmy Shop Build / Product Development Thread - (Trailing Arms?!?!)

[CFMi]

Bitchen tool box

Thanks! I welded it up real fast just to get it done in the last couple hours I had left in the day. I like it but I warped it pretty good from not taking my time. It still opens and closes just fine though, and the top cover hides most of the warped stuff so I think it'll be fine. Just not my best work, lol.

Wow, fabbing your own steel tool box. That's dedication right there. What thickness is the sheet and angle and how much does that thing weigh?

It's funny you ask that - when I was at the steel yard, they didn't have any 12 or 14 gage half sheets in stock, and I didn't want to buy a full sheet of material. So I ended up with 11 ga (1/8" thick) and got some 1/8" thick angle too. They had the weld-on piano hinges there too, and there was a nive heavy one there that had a bad bend at the end of it - they offered it to me cheap and there was enough "good" length on it so I even got a heavier hinge than I was originally going to get. All-in-all it added up to be quite a bit heavier than I was planning on, but I think I like it that way. It sits pretty low in the bed so it shouldn't add too much to the center of gravity. I didn't weigh it on a scale but with my calibrated arms I'd say it's every bit of 100 lbs. Maybe a few more than 100 even, but not much over. Now I need to get to a container store or someplace to find some method of plastic dividers to keep things organized in there. Anyone have any ideas on that front???

 

[ryoken]

Anyone have any ideas on that front???

we cover this kinda stuff in Mutt's thread...


as was suggested to me for my tool drawers, well, the hardware one anyway.... the tool ones will only have a few dividers...

was to take alum strips the height of the box, and cut slots 1/2 way down the left to right ones, than cut 1/2 way up slots on the perperindicular ones.. than just slide em together... maybe a tack weld on top at the joints...



kinda like this deal...

 

[Big Ray]

If space allows, you can put a piece of foam about 1-1.5" thick to lay in the tool box and cut out silhouettes for your tools. Keeps them from rattling and bouncing about so much.

 

[CFMi]

Well, for Blazer Bash, I just laid some rubber mat in the bottom and then cut up some boxes so they were the same height a the box. Loaded them all up with tools and prayed for the best. Surprisingly, nothing moved, nothing broke out of the boxes, and it really didn't even make much noise. For a temporary deal, it couldn't have worked out any better!

 

[CFMi]

Just playing around with an idea....

 

[Smokinthehippies]

Just playing around with an idea....

My plan with my bumper setup was to bring the tube from the wings instead of from the center. It would help tie the whole bumper together actually you could bring them up from the outer edges and run vertical bars up from where you have them now and it'll all be locked in. Use some weld in tube clamps and everything would still be removable

 

[kgblazerfive]

That would be what I want to build.

 

[Upstate]

I really like the angled front, gives it a pre runner feel. What is on the top outside corners?

 

[CFMi]

My plan with my bumper setup was to bring the tube from the wings instead of from the center. It would help tie the whole bumper together actually you could bring them up from the outer edges and run vertical bars up from where you have them now and it'll all be locked in. Use some weld in tube clamps and everything would still be removable

That would be what I want to build.

I really like the angled front, gives it a pre runner feel. What is on the top outside corners?

The little plates on the top of the sides of the wings are landing plates for tubes to run from that center hoop out to the edges of the wings. So, like Smokin says, it will tie it all together. I don't really care that the wings remain removable, except in the case of getting completely smashed on a rock. But I think it'll take a lot to crush them to the point of needing replacement. I'm thinking of tying the outer edges of the wings back into the frame also, so that will just add even more strength. But in this case, it's easy enough to keep them replaceable, so why not?
I just haven't drawn the outer tubes yet, since I'm not at the shop and can't go measure the front end to see exactly where I want them to run.

I think that once this all comes together, it will be a very strong and very good clearance setup. I'd love to offer it all as a one-piece deal but shipping on a full bumper, well, sucks. Also, I'm still using a manual tube bender and although I'm pretty good at it, I really don't want to get myself into a spot where I get multiple orders lined up and then have to spend hours of what little time I have reproducing tubes over and over again. Once the CNC controls are finished on the press brake I'm building, I might look into making a CNC tube bender. Then loook out!

 

[Smokinthehippies]

Nice. Interested to see the final design. I think it'll look sharp and se get a function.

 

[CFMi]

So I worked my butt off today during the day, and rewarded myself with an hour of time for the Jimmy. Bent up the main hoop for the front bumper just to see how it looked on the Jimmy. It looked good in the computer model, but you never know once you get it in front of the body lines. I'm happy with it though, I think it'll look pretty good. Now just to figure out how I want to run the side tubes out to the edges of the wings. The way I really would like them will run them directly in front of the headlights and that doesn't work.

 

[kgblazerfive]

That works for me

 

[Deuling]

Could you try and run them between the headlights? I think I know the look you were going for, something like Muddysubs.

Maybe do something halfway between his and the usual stinger bumper with angles straight down to corners.

 

[CFMi]

Could you try and run them between the headlights? I think I know the look you were going for, something like Muddysubs.

Maybe do something halfway between his and the usual stinger bumper with angles straight down to corners.

I was thinking of trying that, but I think if I run them between the headlights I'll end up with shadows out on the road driving at night. My original thought was actually to have the outer tubes run down at a pretty sharp angle to the corners, nothing like Muddysub's are. I kinda want to stay away from the "bull bar" look and keep things more streamlined - but that's kind of wishful thinking when the front of these trucks is already a box.
Years ago, I built an XJ Cherokee with an exo cage that came out really neat at the front. We cut the lower parts of the front fenders AND fenderwells completely out for tire clearance, which gave me the opportunity to do something pretty unique, and I absolutely loved the look of it. I'll throw up a pic of it below for you to see. I am looking at the lines of it and know it won't work with the Jimmy, but maybe it will inspire something different for the K series????? Mr indecisive here again....

 

[Jester1]

Not to derail the thread, but the jeep looks sweet. More pics please, going to be doing something like that for the kid.

On the bumper....
What about a tad lower stinger then coming in at or just below the lower headlights. Or push the stinger forward of the grill a bit then return the tubes back (kick) and around instead of over and down. Not sure that makes sense.

 

[CFMi]

Not to derail the thread, but the jeep looks sweet. More pics please, going to be doing something like that for the kid.

On the bumper....
What about a tad lower stinger then coming in at or just below the lower headlights. Or push the stinger forward of the grill a bit then return the tubes back (kick) and around instead of over and down. Not sure that makes sense.

I was thinking of making the main hoop a little shorter, but I still want it to functionally protect the radiator in case of a rollover, and I don't think I can go much lower without sacrificing protection. I think I've settled on making the side tubes just come in at an angle under the lights, without a downward bend as I was originally thinking. I'm pretty sure they will clear 90% of the high beam light then. I won't tie them into the main hoop at the very top, but just below the bend. I'll fool around with that the next time I have some free time at the shop. Fixing a forklift and an alarm system today (ughhh....) Lol


I'll get in touch with the owner of that Jeep as I have lost a ton of my pics from the past, then I can send some of his recent pics to you. Some of the things I did to that one include:
- Atlas 4 speed t-case (complete with floor pan mods to keep it tucked tight for max ground clearance!)
- 14 bolt rear with detroit (rear is still on leaf springs currently - we keep talking about linking the back, but it works so damn good that he can't justify it yet)
- D60 front with ARB or detroit (can't remember which we did)
- Full hydro steering with custom lower axle skid & integrated cylinder mount (not shown on the old pic I posted here)
- Custom trans crossmember system with reverse-triangulated front 4-link (YES, on an XJ!!!!)
- internal cage that ties into the half-external cage
- rocker replacement with rectangular tube, tied into the frame stiffeners, tied into both the internal and external cage
- lots more over the years, too much little stuff to list, (or remeber) lol

The neat thing about his XJ is that he can still put on the factory doors, they still close nicely, he has heat and even A/C! And he runs with the big boys with tube buggies all the time and does just as well as they do, in comfort


Shoot me your email so I can send the pics to you when I get them.

 

[Deuling]

That jeep bumper is killer

 

[CFMi]

The only update I have on the Jimmy is that I found the t-case had one stripped bolt and three loose bolts holding it on. It was of course sitting crooked because of that and dumping fluid out the rear main seal of the trans. I sucked it back together and my massive oil leak got much better. I now have reverse and both first gear and third gear, so maybe the internals aren't in as bad of shape as I had previously thought. Good news, but I still need a trans rebuild.

SO since I have no other updates, I finally got a few pics of that Jeep I posted earlier and I'll throw those up here instead. You can kind of see the front suspension work and the internal/external cage design I did. It works super good as is, but as I was informed when the owner sent me the pics, the rear leafs are getting tired and allowing more axle wrap than he likes, so this winter he wants me to link the rear for him! Fun!

-Darren

 

[brans87]

Bad a%% Jeep there

 

[RobTav63]

Almost wish my burb was a "blazer" convertible, that is beautiful.

it could be